Love Burning Bright
by vannahfanfics
Summary: A collection of oneshots from the fandom of Blue Exorcist. DISCLAIMER: I do not own the characters presented in this story, aside from my OCs. Those rights belong exclusively to Kazue Kato. My requests are currently: OPEN
1. Foreword

Hello everyone! Welcome to my oneshot collection for Blue Exorcist, _Love Burning Bright! _It includes a variety of stories, from passionate romances to tales of friendship, and I hope everyone enjoys reading them as much as I enjoy writing them. If you have migrated here from _Cuddle Corner, _thank you for sticking with me; if you are new, welcome and enjoy what I have here! In either case, happy reading!

I do take prompts/pairing and story requests (in fact, I love them, so please feel free to request!). However, there are a couple of guidelines to keep in mind:

If a prompt is submitted, I do not guarantee that I will agree to write it. If I feel uncomfortable at the prompt or otherwise feel like I do not possess enough information to adequately complete the prompt, it is my right to politely refuse to take the prompt. If the prompt is from a series that I have not read/seen, it is likely that I will place the prompt on hold until I have done so. If the prompt is from an anime filler arc, I may refuse or require a short explanation of the filler arc to provide me with enough detail to complete the prompt. Please respect my choice as an author to refuse prompts.

Most of the stories I write are male/female, mostly because this is what I am comfortable writing. However, if you wish to suggest a female/female or male/male prompt, please feel free to do so. I don't discriminate against such pairings and will most likely write them if requested, it is just unlikely that I will do so spontaneously. Again, please respect my decision as the author to refuse to write a pairing if I cannot draw appropriate inspiration.

Finally, this is _not _a place for smut. I respect people who read and/or write it, but I am not one of those people, so please do not request anything that is NSFW. Other than NSFW, there are two other things to keep I mind. _I do not romanticize cheating_. So if I feel your request involves something of this nature, I will politely refuse. I have been hassled about this before, so please don't press me on it. Secondly, _I am sensitive about large age gaps between characters_. These will be taken on a case-by-case basis and depends on the age of the characters as well as their relationship. I am particularly iffy concerning student-teacher relationships, and those will most likely be refused. Of course, everyone is entitled to their preferences and I will never harass you or judge you if you request something of this nature. All I ask is that if I refuse, you take is gracefully, and don't get upset if I happen to write another pairing with an age gap because the circumstances are most likely radically different. I promise you that I have my reasons.

Below is also a list of my other oneshot collections. Please do stop by if any of them pique your interest! Is there a fandom you love not represented? Please recommend it to me! I love new things to read.

The Bonds that We Hold Dear _(Naruto)_

Tales of Connected Souls _(Bleach)_

Tales from the Four Tribes_ (Avatar: The Last Airbender and Avatar: The Legend of Korra)_

Equivalent Exchange: My Life for Yours _(Fullmetal Alchemist)_

Love on the High Seas _(One Piece)_

Tales of the Dawning Sun _(Yona of the Dawn)_

Love on a Fairy's Wing _(Fairy Tail)_

Tales of Resonating Souls _(Soul Eater)_

Tales from Ouran High _(Ouran High School Host Club)_

One Sky, One Destiny _(Kingdom Hearts)_

Tales from Edo _(Gintama)_

Tales of Scattered Realms _(Final Fantasy Franchise)_

Tales of the Zodiac _(Fruits Basket)_

Tales of Heroes and Villains _(My Hero Academia)_

Tales of Sinners and Saints _(The Seven Deadly Sins)_

Memories of the World Between_ (Noragami)_

Tales of the Mafia _(Katekyo Hitman Reborn!) _


	2. Index

**Chapter 1:** Promises _(Juzo/Mamushi)_

**Chapter 2: **Out of Darkness, into Light _(Rin/Shiemi)_

**Chapter 3:** Use With Caution_ (Rin)_


	3. Promises

Category: Romantic Fluff

Characters: Juzo Shima and Mamushi Hojo

The inn was all hustle and bustle as Juzo walked briskly down the wooden hallway, weaving around the attendants and exorcists that were scurrying to and fro to tend to the wounded- and there were many. Juzo himself was bleeding from a scratch on his forehead, and he could feel the dried blood thick against the side of his face, but he didn't bother with it. There were plenty of people who needed immediate attention after the desperate battle to subdue the Impure King that had been awakened by the traitorous snake, Saburota Todo. A scowl found his way onto his mouth as he thought of him.

_What kind of man would use a girl like that? _

The girl he was referring to of course was Mamushi Hojo, one of the daughters of the elites in the Kyoto branch of the True Cross Order and Juzo's childhood friend. The demon eater had tricked Mamushi into stealing the eye of the Impure King, insisting that he was revealing corruption within the order that was instigated by the High Priest, Tatsuma Suguro; then, when he had made his use of her, he just cast her aside, bleeding and weak and devastated. Juzo's hands curled into fists as the image of her flashed in his mind, blood running from her now-useless eye and tears streaming from the other. He had delivered the weak girl back to the branch himself while Tatsuma had faced Todo alone, and nearly ended up dead for it. Mamushi had begged forgiveness, and begged the exorcists to save the High Priest whom, just a few hours before, she had believed a vile traitor. Juzo hadn't been able to linger to comfort the distraught girl, as he had been called to battle along with the rest of his family and the visiting team of exorcists.

Now that the battle was over, the first thing on his mind was to see Mamushi.

The further he walked into the complex, the less people there were running about; by the time he arrived at Mamushi's bedroom, he was the only one in sight. He knocked lightly and announced himself before sliding open the panel door, and was shocked to see that she had crawled put of bed to stagger over to the door. She grabbed onto his clothes, her remaining eye wide with fear.

"Tatsuma-?" she gasped, and he could feel her trembling. _She's so afraid. _

"The Head Priest is fine. He's getting treatment now," he reassured her gently, smiling softly as he held her lightly under her elbows to support the weak girl. Her eye widened further, and then she sank to her knees, bawling miserably with relief. Her fingers curled into the thick fabric of his exorcist uniform as she sobbed, with enough force to make him stop slightly, but he didn't mind. He couldn't imagine the emotional pain she had been suffering, just _waiting, _waiting to see if her actions had led to the death of the Head Priest that she had falsely accused. He kneeled down in front of her, one hand rising to caress her white hair while the other slid around her back to gently pull her into a hug. Rather than yelling at him and calling him a monkey like she normally would, she buried her face into his shoulder, still crying miserably. "Look at you. Such a mess," he tutted quietly as he leaned his head against hers, holding her gently. _If I ever see Todo again, I'll kill him. _

After about ten minutes, Mamushi's miserable wailing settled into quiet sniffles. When she finally pulled back, both her eyes were puffy and red- one from her crying, and the other from the strain of absorbing the Eye of the Impure King. Juzo gently wiped her lingering tears away with his thumb, which she allowed him to do without contest. _She's awfully passive right now, _he thought wryly.

"What happened to Todo?" she asked quietly, resting her hands in her lap as she gazed at him with guilt clear in her face- the round, cute face that so often distorted into a haughty sneer or an angry scowl. _I hate seeing her this way more than I hate seeing her angry at me, _he thought sadly as he sighed and looked away. It was his turn to look guilty.

"We had to let him go. With the Impure King around, we just didn't have the strength to fight him. My guess is, he's miles away from here," he murmured. _Back to whoever he works for. _It was clear that Todo was acting under orders, but whose orders were they? Juzo had a feeling they would find out soon enough. Mamushi hung her head, her quivering bottom lip indicative of the fact she was once again going to dissolve in bitter tears. Mamushi had never really cried, even when they were young children, and seeing her in such an emotional state unsettled him- and angered him. _Todo has no idea what he's done to her, and he doesn't care, either. _"Mamushi. This isn't your fault," he told her, and as he went to place a hand on her cheek, she turned away.

"The Head Priest could have died because of me. If I hadn't been so stupid, none of this would have happened!" she insisted sharply, her slim fingers digging into the fabric of her kimono as she trembled in shame and anger. Juzo could only watch sadly. Regardless of the fact that she had been misled, Mamushi had still acted against the Head Priest and the True Cross Order. After a minute, her shoulders slumped in defeat. "Father says that they're going to revoke my exorcist status, and I may receive more punishment than that… They also say that my eye will never heal," she murmured, and lifted a hand to her closed eye. It was still smeared with a little of her blood. "I'm a disgrace, and an ugly disgrace at that."

"Shut up," he growled immediately, and she looked up at him in mild shock at the anger in his voice. Juzo clenched his teeth as the rage bubbled up inside of him. Who was he angry at? Mamushi, for placing all the blame on herself? Todo, for forcing her into this miserable situation and forcing her to bear all the consequences? Himself, because he couldn't do anything to comfort her and just seemed to be making the situation worse? Probably all three. He took a deep breath to cool his temper, then looked at her firmly. "Sure, you're a disgrace, but I think you're a beautiful disgrace," he smiled gently down at her. A faint blush appeared across Mamushi's cheeks, and she edged away from him warily.

"Wh-What are you playing at? You monkey!" she spluttered. _There it is, _he thought with a small chuckle. Mamushi didn't take well to him finding her reaction amusing, and she lashed out at him, slapping him in the side of the head. It happened to be right where his wound was, and he gritted his teeth and winced as sharp pain blossomed across the side of his skull. When she noticed his pained reaction, she retracted her hand, then gingerly reached out to caress the side of his head where she had struck him. Her slim fingers slipped into his short brown hair, and Juzo kept to himself how damn good it felt. "You're hurt…"

"Eh, it's just a scratch," he shrugged, but truth be told, now his head was pulsing with a dull, throbbing pain. Mamushi sat up on her knees in front of him, so that they were now at the same height, and her snake-like eyes stared hard at the gash in the side of his head. "Don't look at me like that," he sighed, and she flushed again as he placed his hands on her hips. She went rigid beneath his touch, but did not move to retreat; she glanced at him guardedly, but to him, it looked like she was waiting for what he was going to do next. He just held her steady, looking at her with a small smirk on the edges of his mouth.

"… You should go see a doctor, you monkey," she muttered after a moment, cocking her head to the side as she began rhythmically running her fingers through his hair, creating grooves in the thick brunette strands.

"I'll go when things settle down a bit. There are plenty of other people who are in more need than me," he responded levelly. "Speaking of which, you are in no shape to be up and around, Mamushi. You need rest," he pointed out with a raised eyebrow. She pursed her lips and her almost feral eyes flickered down to meet his, filled with displeasure, but something else, too- something hiding in those golden depths.

"I've been 'resting' for hours," she retorted with a twitch of her mouth. The silence settled between them, with the only sound being Juzo's hair shifting slightly under the girl's continuous caresses. "… If you hadn't come for me, Juzo, I don't know what would have happened," she whispered all of a sudden. Her expression had grown guilt-ridden again, and sad, more sad than he had ever seen her. He smiled sweetly at her, and was mildly pleased with himself as that blush appeared on her cheeks once more.

"Mamushi, I will always come for you when you're in trouble," he promised. A little squeak came out of her as she blushed red, and he smiled wider. _For someone who puts up such a front, she really is just a cute girl! _He thought with a snicker. When he met her eyes again, he could see the apprehension in her golden irises, but excitement, too. He reached up to put a hand on her cheek once more, and this time, she did not turn away, but just gazed down at him with that excited-scared expression. "Always," he repeated gently.

"You make big promises, you monkey," she sniffed. He could feel her trembling again, but it wasn't like before; it was an almost imperceptible quiver that he could only perceive by the brush of his hand across her soft cheek. She gasped as Juzo suddenly pulled her close so that their bodies were touching, and her face were a mere inches away from his own; she grabbed onto his shoulders by instinct, while Juzo now had his other hand placed firmly in the small of her back.

"What do you say we stop playing games, Mamushi?" he purred softly, under his breath, so she could only hear. He saw her swallow nervously, her one, beautiful golden eye wide as it gazed shakily into his own playful, calm ones.

"What game?" One of her hands slid around his neck to curl into the ends of his hair, twisting it around her index finger as she frowned at him, as if she were innocent of the implications. _She doesn't want to admit it out loud. _

"The game you're playing," he answered nonchalantly. She just continued to gaze levelly at him, her cheeks puffed out mildly in defiance, stubbornly resisting the obvious. "If you aren't gonna say it, I'm gonna leave," he threatened with a smirk, and the firm façade evaporated for a brief moment. Her mouth dropped open in mild shock, but she closed it immediately to clench her teeth in a slight growl. Her gaze slid to the corners of her eyes, unable to meet his alluring gaze as she forced out the words.

"Stay with me," she mumbled. Juzo cupped a hand to his ear, tilting his head with a grin.

"What was that? I can't hear you."

"I said stay with me, you deaf monkey!" she snapped, louder, and then she clapped a hand over her mouth as she glanced at the open sliding door, mortified. Juzo was still sitting in the threshold of it, and he chuckled loudly as he relished her cute reaction. "You're cruel," she frowned at him once she dropped her hand from her mouth, which had reformed that angry little pout that she wore so well. Juzo gently cupped her chin, still smirking.

"Can you blame me? You're so cute when you're embarrassed," he teased. As she went to her angry again, he quickly closed the distance between them, covering her mouth with his own. She went as rigid as stone, but after a moment Juzo felt her melt into him, her small hand sliding from his shoulder to his chest while the other continued to curl into his thick hair. Juzo had loved Mamushi for a long time, and he told her that without words as he kissed her passionately but softly for several minutes. When he pulled back, she actually brought her face closer to him again, an almost begging expression on her face. Once she realized what she was doing, she pulled back, pink and pouty.

"Stop teasing me," she whined as he disentangled himself from her and stood up, putting a hand on the sliding door. She looked up at him with a sad, fearful expression, probably assuming that he was making to leave.

"I don't tease," he shot back as he pulled the door closed, and she didn't even have time to ask before he had leaned down and kissed her again, running his hand over her beautiful white hair.

_I'll protect you from now on, Mamushi. I'll never let anyone hurt you ever again… I promise. _


	4. Out of Darkness, into Light

_**Author's Note: **_Hello, everyone! I am pleased to announce two more oneshot collections, Tales of Resonating Souls (Soul Eater) and Tales from Ouran High (Ouran High School Host Club)! Though no stories have been posted as of yet, feel free to visit and make a request!

Category: Mild Romantic Fluff, Friendship Fluff

Characters: Rin Okumura and Shiemi Moriyama

"Let's see…" Shiemi murmured thoughtfully as she inspected the piece of paper in her hands. It was a memo that contained a detailed map of Fukushima City, located in the Fukushima prefecture. "We're close! The target building is just down this street and around the corner!" she smiled cheerfully up at Rin, who was hunched over slightly with his hands in his pockets and staring at the map with his dark eyebrows knitted together in confusion.

"How can you read that thing, Shiemi? There's so much crap on it." Shiemi giggled and folded up the map, tucking it into the pocket of her uniform skirt while her little familiar leaned over her shoulder, wiggling his arms as if he had wanted longer to look at it. He leaned a little too far and wobbled precariously, but managed to cling to her neck and avoid tumbling down to the ground. "All right, so down this street?" he affirmed and straightened up, peering down the sidewalk.

The city was quite large, so it really was no wonder that Rin was having trouble navigating. Currently, they were located somewhere in the heart of the city, but on the outskirts of the commercial district that contained towering office buildings and other corporate establishments. Shiemi and Rin had been dispatched to the residential area to deal with a troublesome ghost.

"According to the briefing, the ghost has been around for quite some time, but had more or less been benevolent up until now," Shiemi reported as she strolled alongside Rin. "Before, an old couple lived in the house, and only had to deal with objects moving, footsteps, slamming doors, that kind of thing. The couple has since died and a new family moved in, a young couple with their three-year-old, and that's when things escalated. The family is so afraid that they've been staying in a hotel."

"So we just gotta go in there and kill it, right?" Rin smirked, his unusually sharp canines catching the sunlight. His sword was wrapped in its cloth, strapped to his back, but Shiemi knew that he was itching to hold it already.

"We've been called to assist the senior exorcists already there. It's a very old and powerful spirit, they say. Also, they mentioned that we have to do as little damage to the house as possible." This instantly popped the balloon of Rin's excitement, and his shoulders hunched up to his pointed ears as he grimaced.

"Why the hell did they put me on this mission, then?"

"Everyone else was busy, and Shura said it would be good practice for you to control your 'destructive tendencies.'" The half-demon boy muttered something unflattering about the swordswoman under his breath, but Shiemi had not time to reply as they turned the corner and were abruptly greeted by chaos. "Oh, my goodness!"

The entire street was marked off with metal barricades and police tape, blocking off the section in front of a quaint two-story house. At the instant she and Rin rounded the corner, a gale of black wind burst from the front door, sending it flapping on its hinges and sounding eerily reminiscent of a woman's screech. It was so deafening that she and Rin had to clap their hands over their ears to keep their eardrums from bursting, but even then, it was so loud and high-pitched it was painful. _What power!_ Shiemi thought as the wind's cold fingers ripped at her clothes and almost blew Nee out of her hair. She cracked an eye open when the wind finally died, finding that the entire left side of the road block had been flung into the opposite building, which already contained the marks of prior destruction; bricks were loosened and piled on the ground, several windows were shattered, and one of the metal barricades was embedded into the building several yards up. Littered across the street were groaning, wounded exorcists and debris from the front yard, ripped up flowerbeds and stones from the gravel path and even the splintered remains of the wooden mailbox. At the sight of injured, Shiemi gasped and hopped over the remaining bits of barricade to rush to the nearest exorcist's side. "Nee! You know what to do!" she commanded as she knelt beside him to inspect the deep laceration in his arm. Her familiar squealed and jumped up, healing herbs springing from his belly. Shiemi plucked them off and expertly created a wrap around his bleeding arm. It was no substitute for medicine and bandages, but it would keep him from bleeding to death.

"What the hell was that?" Rin cried as he followed Shiemi to the next patient. An exorcist came running from the other side of the barrier, apparently the one in charge of the operation.

"It's a banshee," he answered grimly with a look to the house. Shiemi glanced at it out of the corners of her eyes; it didn't look so quaint anymore. The porch and yard were littered in dead leaves from the gnarled, dying oak tree whose bare branches bent over the roof, making an eerie scratching sound with every slight breeze. Several of the planks on the porch had been pulled up, bearing sharp nails, and one of the chains securing the porch swing had snapped, sending it crashing down. No windows were broken or side paneling or shutter removed, but the house seemed to leak evil energy; the door was still open, the only thing beyond it a gaping chasm of darkness. Shiemi shivered, not looking forward to venturing into the abyss. _I could stay out here and treat the wounded… No way! _She scolded herself as soon as she thought it. _I can't have Rin go in there alone!_

"A banshee?" Rin frowned. It wasn't a demon they had come across yet, and since Rin barely retained anything he studied past examinations (and even then, sometimes before), it wasn't something he knew by memory.

"A banshee is a relative of a ghost. They come from ghosts of women who died in tragic ways, and are extremely dangerous. That wind you saw just now was just from her screaming. The wind can cut you just like any blade, and can burst your eardrums in an instant. The team we sent in first didn't stand a chance. They've all been rendered deaf," the senior exorcist explained with a sad shake of his head. Now that Shiemi looked, all the men scattered about, and even the officer, had earplugs in their ears. As she was wrapping the second man's leg, a handful of medical officers ran out into the street.

"We can take over from here. Captain, that thing just wiped out the entire team. Are you sure we should send these Exwires in?" one frowned as he knelt down across from Shiemi to further tend to the wounded man. Before he could answer, Rin snorted and gave him a cheeky grin and a thumbs-up.

"Just leave it to us! Right, Shiemi?"

"Yes!" she nodded determinedly and hopped to her feet. The officer provided them with the earplugs, and Shiemi frowned slightly as she pushed them into her ears, finding the feeling of them very uncomfortable. "These things are weird."

"What did you say?"

"I said these things are weird!" she repeated louder, and he laughed at her, though she wasn't sure if he had actually heard her or it was just a knee-jerk reaction to pretend like he had. Rin pulled his sword off his shoulder, sliding off the cloth to reveal the sleek sheathed blade, as he approached the house. He and Shiemi carefully picked their way across the porch, careful to avoid the nails sticking up; the wood groaned with each step they made. As they approached the door, the temperature abruptly dropped, making Shiemi shiver again. "It's cold…" She wasn't just shivering from the cold. Try as she might to be brave, the darkness emanating from the house made her heart quiver with fear. She involuntarily took a step back and swallowed nervously.

"Shiemi." As he uttered her name, she turned to him, finding that he was smiling softly at her. "Stop worrying. We can do this, together." Her cheeks flushed dark pink, and she looked away, embarrassed that he had realized that she was afraid.

"I-I'm not scared. I-it's just cold," she mumbled and cast her gaze back to the doorway. "And dark… So dark we could get separated…"

"I can't do much about the cold, but how about this? You can hold my hand until we find the banshee, so we don't get separated in the house," he beamed at her and offered her his hand. It was so natural for him, like it was nothing, but Shiemi's pulse immediately skyrocketed. _It's just Rin! _She told herself as she took the offered hand. Immediately, she felt at ease, and a smile came to her face as she wrapped her fingers around his. _Kind, dependable Rin… _"Feel better?"

"Mm-hmm!"

"Great! Then let's go, Shiemi!" he grinned in that confident, devilish way of his, and together, they plunged into the house. It was like stepping into a walk-in freezer, but everything around them was just darkness. Shiemi could barely make out Rin's form beside her or her breath fogging in front of her face in the gloom. While her other hand lay locked in Rin's, her other was pressed to her chest, trying to still her rapidly beating heart. They were standing in the entryway, all the light from the entryway absorbed by the crushing blackness. Shiemi could just barely make out the outlines of a pair of recliners, a sofa, and what seemed to be a small fireplace. Rin tugged her in that direction, and Shiemi was sickened that upon closer inspection the furniture contained deep claw-marks. They leaked stuffing like blood, piles like puddles on the floor. "So much for not doing much damage to the house," Rin muttered, just high enough that she could hear him through the earplugs. Shiemi's attention was caught by the photographs on the walls and end tables.

"Rin… Look at these." In the photographs, all the glass had been shattered. The little bits crunched under their feet as they leaned close to the pictures to inspect them in the gloom. "Only the parents' faces have been scratched out."

"Huh. You're right. Weird." In every photo, the man and woman's faces were now unrecognizable scribbles of white, but their daughter's happy face was perfectly intact. It was obvious that it was done by the banshee, but why? "It isn't in here. Let's go, Shiemi."

He pulled her along to the opposite side of the house through a doorway, into the adjoining kitchen. Rin tried flicking the light switch, but the bulb in the overhanging lights did not flicker to life. "So much for that." He began leading her through the room, hissing in pain as his hip collided with the dinner table that they could barely make out. "Ow... What the hell?" Shiemi followed his surprised gaze, and with enough squinting she could recognize that every knife the couple owned was embedded into the wood of the table. There were at least twenty. "This is one pissed-off ghost." For comfort, Shiemi grabbed onto the back of Rin's shirt. "Oh, don't worry, Shiemi. It's nothing we can't handle," he grinned at her in the dark before leading her down a hallway, toward what she surmised would be bedrooms.

_Rin… I hope you're right. _

"It's getting colder," she observed quietly as they progressed through the house, finding only an empty bathroom, sitting room, and bathroom. Evidence of the enraged banshee was everywhere: claw marks scored into the walls and furniture, the linens of the beds strewn about and ripped beyond repair, and the same strange disfiguring of every photograph. Both she and Rin were shuddering with the cold now. They were at the landing of the staircase now.

"Let's go." The string of photographs that had been nailed to the walls had been flung off, and their feet crunched on broken glass and splintered photo frames as they slowly edged up the staircase. When they arrived at the turning point, Rin paused; floating in the air were the miserable sobs of a woman. Even more slowly so as not to alert the demon to their presence, they crept up the steps, following the sound down the second-floor hallway to a bedroom in the back. The darkness up there was even more crushing, and if Shiemi had not been holding his hand, she would have no idea where Rin was at all. Her hand brushed along the hallway wall to keep herself grounded in reality, otherwise she would be floating untethered in the abyssal space. When they made it to the room, sitting on the floor silhouetted by soft white light was the form of a young woman in a kimono. She was clutching a little doll to her chest as she wept.

"Setsuko… Where is Setsuko?" Instantly, the reason for the ghost's abrupt change in mood was apparent. _She lost her daughter and was unable to move on. When the family with the daughter moved in, she must have thought she was Setsuko, and lashed out at the parents. _Rin moved to creep forward, but the plank beneath his foot loudly creaked. Immediately the woman's head snapped to glare where they were standing, her pupils expanding to smother the whites of her eyes. _"Give me back Setsuko!" _she screamed, and Shiemi gasped and braced herself against Rin as an unholy wind blasted from the form of the woman. It was shrieking, just like the black wind before.

"Who the hell is Setsuko?" Rin shouted as he whipped his sword from its sheath. At once his blue flames blazed to life, flickering along the edge of his sword and across his body; it seemed to chase the darkness away, casting them in a circle of soft blue light. The woman had undergone a ghastly transformation, her black hair growing to writhe around her like tentacles and darkness seeping from her pale body. "Shiemi! Back me up, okay?" Rin shouted as he sprang at the demon. His sword was halted by several of the thick hair tendrils.

"Got it! Nee!" Her familiar sprang onto her head, his belly bursting open with climbing ivy. It shot towards the ghost, curling around her hands and legs and writhing hair to immobilize her.

"Good job, Shiemi! Take this!" Rin roared and went to deliver the finishing blow, but the banshee was far from done. The banshee screamed again, the volume fierce enough this time to make their bones rattle and ears ring despite the safety equipment, and Rin froze in his tracks and dropped his sword to cover his ears. "Owwww! Dammit!"

"Rin, no!" Shiemi cried, hovering by the door with her hands clamped over her ears too. He was much too vulnerable like that; the banshee's fingernails grew into wicked claws, and with a gleeful shriek, she swiped at the trembling demon boy. Shiemi did the only thing she thought she could do at the moment and flung herself at Rin, knocking him roughly to the side. "Ahh!" she screamed in pain as the banshee's claws ripped across her side, leaving her white uniform shirt blooming red with blood. The force of the blow was enough to fling her backwards, sending her crashing through the bedroom window and plummeting into the backyard below.

"_Shiemi!" _she heard Rin screaming as she fell through the air, the wind tugging at her hair and clothes. Nee sprang of her shoulder to expand in size, and she landed safely in his pillowy, bush-like body. Groaning, she rolled off of her familiar as he shrank back down to his miniature form, holding a hand to her gaping wound. Above, she could hear Rin roaring in anger and things crashing around as he fought the banshee, and blue flames blazed through the broken window. She gritted her teeth at the intense pain as she forced herself to sit up. She had to get back in there.

"Hey… Over here."

"Who said that?" her voice was labored, just like her breathing, as her head whipped wildly around. Compared to the rest of the house, the backyard was serene and untouched; the grass was emerald in the bright sunlight, and the white fence was lined with colorful flowerbeds. A smaller tree was in the back corner, its leaves full and healthy with bright pink blossoms dotted throughout. A white bench was placed in front of one of the flowerbeds, and on this bench sat a little girl in a flower-patterned kimono and her black hair tied into a pair of buns. Panting, Shiemi forced herself to stand up and stumble over to the little girl. "You shouldn't be here. It's danger-" she started to say, but as she got closer, it was painfully obvious that the little girl was a spirit as well. She smiled cutely up at Shiemi and tilted her head to the side. "Are you Setsuko?"

"Yep. What's your name, pretty lady?" Shiemi nervously looked back to the eerie house. Though the fight had migrated deeper within, she could still hear Rin's valiant effort against the crazed banshee, and her occasional demonic screams. _I need to help Rin… But if I find out what happened to Setsuko, maybe I can get the banshee to calm down! _

"My name is Shiemi," she told the little girl, looking back at her with a pained smile. Blood was seeping through Shiemi's fingers and flooding into her skirt, even dribbling down the side of her thigh. She had to finish this quickly, or she would pass out from blood loss. She grimaced as she increased the pressure on the wound.

"I'm sorry my mommy hurt you."

"Oh, it's okay. Please tell me why your mommy is so sad," Shiemi smiled weakly. Setsuko looked down at her little hands in her lap, then wordlessly pointed to the base of the tree in the corner. Her eyebrows knitting together in confusion, Shiemi hobbled over to the large plant and, with much effort, crouched down to rifle through the detritus among the roots. After a minute of digging into the soft, loamy earth, her hands found something solid, and she pulled it up. She immediately dropped it with a frightened scream. Grinning at her from the ground was a child-sized skull. "O-oh m-my…" she whispered in horror, tears streaming from her wide green eyes, and she turned to Setsuko, who had risen from the bench to walk over. She was staring sadly down at what remained of her body.

"We were very poor. Daddy and Mommy fought a lot about it," she sighed and crouched down to pick up the skull. Bile rose in Shiemi's throat, but she forced it back down. "Daddy lost his job, and they fought even more. Mommy cried a lot. One night, Daddy said that if I had never been born, then they wouldn't be poor. It made me cry. Daddy left, and Mommy told me that it wasn't my fault and me being born was the best thing to ever happen to them. Daddy came back late that night and got me out of bed. He said that there was a pretty flower in the garden he wanted to show me. He made me look at the flower, and then…"

"Your own father killed you?" Shiemi whispered. It was the most horrible thing that she had ever heard. Setsuko straightened back up, smiling brightly as she held the skull in her tiny little hands, hands that would never get to grow bigger.

"It's okay, Miss Shiemi. I'm not sad about it anymore," she told her. "I just want my mommy to get better. She thinks I'm lost, but I've been here the whole time. She just can't see me." She held out the skull to her. "Please, take me to her? I don't want her to be sad anymore. I want us to be able to go to Heaven together." Shiemi sniffed and used the backs of her hands to wipe her eyes, then nodded firmly and took the skull from the little ghost girl. Her determination momentarily chased the pain from her body, and she stood up to resolutely stare at the house. _I'm on my way, to deliver Setsuko's message! Just hold on a little longer, Rin! _

She trotted across the backyard to enter the house through the back door. It was a dark as ever, but the remains of the child glowed in her hands, providing her enough light to see. She ran as fast as she could towards the stairs, leaving a trail of bright red blood in her wake. Her vision was beginning to grow fuzzy and her breath short, but she pressed onward. _I have to save Sestuko and her mother! _

"Rin!" she shouted hoarsely as she made it to the stairs. She grabbed the banister as she fought for breath, leaning over as she panted heavily. "_Rin! Down here!" _she screamed into the darkness. There was silence, then suddenly Rin came bursting out of the hallway above in an explosion of blue flame.

"Shiemi!" he shouted down at her as he slid down the banister to drop to her side. He was panting hard too, scratches across his face and arms and his clothes a little torn, but faring much better than she was. "I tried to go after you, but that bitch wouldn't let me! I can't get close enough to hit her with my sword without tearing this whole house down!" Shiemi had to laugh, because the idea that he was more concerned about the house than killing the demon really was extraordinary.

"It's okay! I know how to beat it!" she told him with a smile. As she said so, the banshee came crawling on all fours down the hall, her hair writhing around her like a hundred snakes. The temperature in the room plummeted, make Shiemi tremble violently, but nevertheless she ran up the flight of stairs to approach the demonic woman.

"Shiemi, no!" Rin's cry and her thundering footsteps alerted the banshee to her presence, and with monstrous speed she surged towards Shiemi. As she landed at the top of the steps, Shiemi thrust the skull out.

"Here! Here is Setsuko!" she cried and squeezed her eyes shut. She expected some sort of impact, but none came, so she cracked an eye open. The demon had stopped just short of her, and was sitting up on her knees, her black hair swirling gently around her like it was suspended in water. A few strands brushed across Shiemi's cheek, feeling softer than down. The woman's eyes reverted to normal and flooded with tears as her pale hands reached out to gently take the small skull.

"Set… suko…"

"I'm sorry. Your daughter died. Her father killed her because of the money," Shiemi explained softly. The banshee looked up at her with wide eyes. Shiemi hung her head, recounting the tale enough to make her eyes flood with tears again. As they spilled down her cheeks, she whispered, "It must have been so terrible, not knowing what happened to her… I'm so sorry you had to suffer like that for so long…" She then looked up at her, her expression firm. "But you need to stop hurting other people! Setsuko is waiting for you, so you can go on together!" The ghost exhaled deeply in realization, and turned around as a small form materialized behind her.

"Setsuko," she whispered as the little girl held out her arms for an embrace. She dropped the skull and crawled over to her, then gasped and pulled her into her arms to hug her tightly.

"Let's go now, Mommy. Don't be sad anymore." The woman nodded wordlessly as she shed her tears of happiness and longing, and Setsuko smiled at Shiemi as they both began to glow brightly. "Thank you, Miss Shiemi! I've never seen a flower as pretty as you!" she grinned cheekily, and then they were gone. Shiemi smiled warmly as daylight spilled into the house, warm and comforting. She then wobbled, growing dizzy, and fell backward into the open air.

"Gotcha!" Rin cried as he came up behind her and caught her, falling down to his knees on the step. Her head flopped back onto his shoulder, her blonde hair sweeping across her face, and her green eyes gazed up at him tiredly. "Ah! Shiemi! You're hurt bad!" he cried in panic as he carried her down the steps to the landing, laying her down gently on the wooden boards and flicking his tail nervously as he eyed the scratch marks in her side. "Hey, Nee, do something, will ya?" he begged the little Greenman. Shiemi giggled, making him look at her in a mixture of alarm and confusion.

"Stop worrying. I'm tougher than that," she mused. He hunched his shoulders slightly before sighing deeply and sitting on his knees beside her.

"You _did _have me worried. The whole time I was fighting her, all I could think about was you…" he mumbled with pink cheeks. Shiemi's eyes widened slightly and her face took on a similar hue.

"Hey, Rin… Come a little closer. I can't hear you." She could hear him just fine, actually; perhaps it was the blood less making her thoughts fuzzy, or the brush with death, but she was about to do something bold. Rin frowned deeply, then put his hands on his knees as he leaned over her.

"I said-" she didn't let him finish, because she reached up to pull his head down and press his mouth against hers. Shiemi didn't know much about love; she had told him that she wasn't ready for that sort of thing, but after everything that had happened, somehow, she felt like she knew that was the right thing to do. She could feel the heat radiating from his blushing face, mingling with the heat of her own, as their mouth moved gently together for a few seconds. _I love Rin. _Why had it taken her so long to realize that? Her beating heart, a drum to the tune of her singing soul, was enough evidence of that. When he pulled back from her, his face was red and his mouth curled into an embarrassed scowl. "That was smooth."

"You think so?" she laughed as he straightened up, then winced as the pain flared in her side once more.

"All right, to be continued. I'm getting you to a doctor."

"Wait, to be continued?!" she cried in alarm as he scooped her into his arm, and it was his turn to laugh as she turned cherry-red and her heart began palpitating. "Don't say things like that! I'll bleed out! Rin!" He just laughed maliciously as he carried her out of the house into the daylight, and into a new future of love where she had no idea what to expect…


	5. Use With Caution

Category: Friendship Fluff

Characters: Rin Okumura

Requested By: kyobasu (FanFiction)

Rin raised a hand to his mouth as he yawned loudly and unabashedly, his face crunched up from its intensity as he eased himself down onto the stone rim of the campus' fountain where he so often perched after an afternoon in Exorcist Cram School. Now that most of the student body had vacated the school campus to return to their dorms or take the public transit to the nearby city for an evening of mild revelry, he lazily pulled his demon tail out from under his uniform shirt, which he had untucked as soon as he had passed through the threshold of the exit, to let it flicker around behind him like Kuro's tail so often did. He ought to return to the dorm himself and do some studying. _Yeah, screw that! _He thought with a devilish sneer. He propped his elbow on his knee to lean his cheek in his hand, his tail continuing to sway side-to-side behind him as he pondered what he could get up to _besides_ hitting the books. After all the business in Kyoto, Rin was on significantly better terms with all of his classmates, so asking one of them to hang out with him wouldn't be unreasonable; the question was discerning who was _free. _

Rin was usually the first one out of the building, making a mad dash for fresh air and sunlight like he was allergic to the academic environment, and so the rest of the exorcists-in-training often lagged behind. He saw them approaching in the near distance, strolling over the neatly arranged cobblestones towards the fountain that bubbled pleasantly behind him. Rin wasn't sure where the rest of them wandered off to, but Shima and Suguro were currently walking in his direction, Suguro with his bag slung over his shoulder and looking ever the rebellious degenerate, while Shima plodded along beside him looking completely innocent but probably in the process of plotting at least ten schemes. Yukio was strolling along behind them, his nose in a book that just by observing its thickness Rin knew he didn't want to even touch it.

"Rin, you shouldn't have your tail out. What if someone sees?" Yukio scolded him as he came within earshot. Rin responded by childishly puffing out his cheeks.

"Don't be such a stiff. No one's gonna see. Do you know how uncomfortable it is to keep it wrapped around me all day? It gets itchy after a while," he whined as he stretched out on his belly on the stone fountain. The tip of his tail traced patterns in the rippling water's surface, then lashed like a whip, splattering droplets of water all over his brother's face. Rin giggled as Yukio exhaled deeply and pulled off his glasses to clean them off on his uniform, obviously unappreciative of the playful banter. "Where's Konekomaru? I figured he would be with you two," he asked Shima and Suguro.

"He had to run an errand. He'll be back later," Suguro reported casually.

"What're you doing today, Okumura?" Shima asked in that polite yet somehow disinterested way of his. He really was an odd guy but Rin liked that about him.

"I dunno yet. Are you guys free?"

"You should be studying," his younger twin interjected with a scoff, to which Rin replied with a dour frown.

"Dun wanna."

"You're never gonna stomp Satan with that attitude," Suguro sneered while crossing his arms. Suguro could say anything and get under Rin's skin, but insulting him directly always got him fired up; he jumped to his feet while grating his teeth, fists already up to grapple and his tail lashing about furiously like a coiled cobra.

"You wanna go? _Do ya_? I'll stomp _you_ first!"

"Just try it! I'll beat the shit outta you!" Suguro snapped back and, while still smiling in that peculiar fashion so characteristic of him, Shima promptly locked Suguro's arms behind his back and let him stamp his feet and curse out all the violent energy that Rin had stirred up in him. Irritated, Rin squatted down on the stone fountain and settled for teasing the fact that Suguro couldn't square up while he was being held, highly amused that he could only make him angrier. It was all in good fun, though; Suguro could definitely get him going, but he really liked the guy and thought him capable. One couldn't tell it by the way they were constantly at each other's throats, though, like a couple of rabid dogs quarreling over some scraps.

"Okay, guys, that's enough now." Shima, ever the diplomat. It's not like he actually cared if Suguro and Rin scrapped, though; he was just tired of expending the energy to keep Suguro at bay. He released the aforementioned boy's arms. Suguro shot him an acidic glare before managing to compose himself. "Anyway, if you're looking for something to do, I have just the idea." The pink-haired boy grinned to himself as he plopped down onto the fountain next to Rin and began digging in his school bag, looking mischievous. Rin liked mischievous.

"Oh, shit, not _those_," Suguro groaned as Shima procured a package of some ordinary-looking chocolate bon-bons from the depths of his schoolbag, which he casually tossed to the side after securing his prize. Rin, very interested in the chocolate simply for being food, leaning over his shoulder as he stripped away the packaging.

"What's so special about 'em?"

"He bought 'em in some random shop in the city. Apparently, they've got some kind of love potion in 'em."

"And we're gonna make Shiemi and Izumo eat them~!" Shima squealed with delight and happily held the box of chocolates above his head. Rin's dark eyebrows approached the roots of his hair as his eyes widened. The chocolates certainly didn't look any different than regular chocolates, but looks could certainly be deceiving. The box _did_ have a "use with caution" notice printed on the top.

"Surely you don't believe that nonsense," Yukio sighed while pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

"Come on, have a little fun, wouldja?" Shima's true colors were showing now; a grin with devilish intent that could rival Satan himself painted his fine features as he lowered the unassuming box of candies. "You can't deny that you would be overjoyed to have Shiemi doting on you a little~"

"S-stop that! That's ludicrous!" Yukio sputtered with a face ablaze with blush. Shima one, Yukio zero. "I'll prove it right now. This stupid candy is just a scam you wasted your money on," he huffed, and while Shima squirmed and alarm and tried to prevent it, Yukio jumped forward to rip open the plastic covering, pluck one of the bon-bons from its place, and pop it into his mouth. His shoulders were hunched up to his ears as he chewed on the confection. Shima yelped and jumped behind Rin to ensure as little as him was visible to Yukio as possible, not wishing to become the stiff young teacher's object of affections even if temporarily.

"Asshole, you're stepping on my tail, _stop!" _Rin whined and yanked it out from under his tennis shoe. When he looked back, Yukio was gazing at him blankly. "Um… Yukio, you all right, dude?"

"I feel odd."

"Odd?"

"Yeah… My heart is beating really fast all of a sudden."

"Ho-ly _shit_, it worked!" Suguro howled and promptly doubled over in a fit of hysterical laughter. A shiver traveled from the tips of Rin's toes to the ends of his hair at the alarming prospect.

"Wh-what? That's preposterous! He's my brother! That's disgusting!" Yukio shouted at the still cackling Suguro, who now had tears brewing in the corners of his eyes. His brother's cheeks were apparently permanently dyed a shade of carnation, because every time his gaze flickered to him, it would appear. "I-it's obviously just a side effect of whatever stupid 'love potion' this guy put into these chocolates! I totally don't think my little brother is adorable and cute and I want to hug him!" Suguro's laughed abruptly hitched in his throat as he looked at Yukio incredulously. The boy apparently realized what he had said and clapped his hands over his mouth in horror, and Rin held his breath as his face turned a slight shade of green from the nausea swirling around in his stomach. Shima released a snort of laughter that he had been trying to contain behind his laced fingers over his lips, and this was the catalyst for Suguro to release a hoarse wheeze and begin howling with laughter all over again.

"Oh my _God_!"

"How do we get rid of it?!" Rin shouted and whirled around to shake Shima, who was now blue from holding in his breath, violently by the shoulders. He exploded into a giggling fit too, and held his stomach as the package of bon-bons slipped out of his lap to fall onto the ground.

"Ahhhhhh, this is hysterical! Much better than I imagined!" the pink-haired boy sighed after calming down and wiped tears from the corners of his eyes. Suguro was squatted down holding his aching ribs, still quivering as snorts slipped out from time to time, and Yukio was just standing there with his fists balled up and his face redder than a tomato. "But we know they work! We _gotta_ get Izumo and Shiemi to eat them!" he beamed, hand diving down to snatch the fallen package from the ground, before jumping up with sparkling eyes.

"Wait, wait! Don'tcha think we should invite Paku, too? Y'know, so there's one girl for each of us!" Rin suggested.

"Oh, you're right. Good thinking, Okumura."

"Yeah, okay, but now we have to figure out who gets who," Suguro sighed from where he was now sitting on the ground, breathless from laughing so much but seemingly recovered.

"Aren't you forgetting about me?" Yukio snapped, irate.

"Shut up, you don't count, you're in love with your brother!" Shima cried much too giddily, and even though Rin was kind of uncomfortable with it at first it was now absurdly comical, and he joined the two guys in howling at Yukio's expense. Yukio fumed so hot that an egg could fry on his head in ten seconds flat.

"Wait, you're gonna play along?" Rin asked Suguro when he was done laughing. Suguro wasn't one he pinned to go along with their playful antics; normally he was much more content to study and tout that he was better than Rin for it.

"_Someone _has to make sure that Renzo doesn't do something that lands him in jail."

"Don't say that! I'm a gentleman! _A gentleman_!"

"You're a pervert and you know it."

"He's kinda right, you know," Rin snickered and jabbed him repeatedly in the side with his elbow. Shima deflated like a balloon.

"You guys suck… Anyway… How about this? Rin can have Shiemi, because he's in love with her already," -Rin proceeded to choke on air- "I'll take Izumo," -he paused to put a hand over his heart and sigh endearingly- "and Bon can have Pazu."

"I don't even know Pazu."

"You can have Izumo, then! They're all beautiful 3"

"_Pervert_." Rin was too busy discreetly gushing about the fact that the gentle, adorable Shiemi would be his partner. _Wait, but for how long? _His brother seemingly read his mind.

"Hello? Are you forgetting about something? Is this permanent?!" his brother continued to pout.

"Nah, it only lasts a couple hours. Just tough it out," Shima mused while rattling the box of magical chocolates. Yukio huffed and crossed his arms to look away, but his gaze crept back to Rin no matter how much he seemed to try to prevent it. It just so happened that the girls meandered to the fountain, just in time for Shima to put his plan into play.

"Rin! Yuki! Hello!" Shiemi called jovially with a wave of her arm. Rin sighed in contentment as her pretty blonde hair bobbed alongside her kind, round face. _She's so cute… _"What are you up to?" she asked as she momentarily left Kamiki and Pazu's side to prance over.

"Go time," Shima whispered in his ear, stirring him into action.

"Oh, hey! Shima was just sharing these awesome candies with us, ya want one?" he grinned and plucked one from the box to hold it out to her. He tried to keep his hand from trembling as his heart thundered in his ribcage like a tumultuous symphony; sweat crawled down the side of his head as he threaded his hand back and forth through his already messy hair, trying to seem nonchalant as he flashed her a toothy grin. Shiemi blinked, tilting her head as she inspected the round little bon-bon.

"Su-" Before she could even get the word out of her mouth, Yukio shouldered past her to snatch the chocolate from Rin's hand, jerk him aside so that he landed in the fountain with a frantic splash, grab a very alarmed Shima by the front of his shirt, and shove the candy into his mouth. He then shook him about so he was forced to swallow it lest he choke to death. As Rin sat up in the cold fountain water, droplets streaming down his face and dripping from the hair that was plastered there, Shima was holding his throat and coughing violently while facing him, eyes closed.

"Ah! Shima, don't open your-" Too late.

"Okumura, control your twin, would you?" he growled as he shot him a glare. The panic must have been clear on Rin's face, because no sooner had their gazes locked had Shima's face morph into the visage of terrible realization. "Oh no." His face then proceeded to turn the shade of his dyed hair, and he curled up on the fountain rim while covering his face. "Ohhhhh noooooo…"

"What's the big deal?" Kamiki asked with a hand on her hip. Pazu was laughing lightly while scratching the side of her face, and Shiemi was still shell-shocked, her hand lingering in the air where she had intended to take the chocolate.

"The chocolates are apparently laced with a love potion," Yukio answered gruffly.

"Yeah, so what the hell is your problem, Yukio?! Why didja push me into the water and why did you give it to Shima?!" Rin shouted as he surged out of the fountain, scattering the water like rain as he grabbed Yukio by the front of his collar to jerk him forward and get in his face. Yukio's eyes went wide and his face red at the close contact, reminding Rin that he too was under the effects of the potion, and he hastily shoved him away before squatting down on the fountain rim with his face in his hands. "What the hell…"

"You were going to feed me a love potion?!" Shiemi gasped at him, sounding utterly betrayed, and he looked up in alarm.

"I- no- well, technically yes, but- it was just a joke! We were gonna give 'em to Kamiki and Pazu too!"

"What?!" the purple-haired girl instantly screeched in anger.

"Shut up! You're making it worse!" Suguro snapped at him. Rin obediently clammed up. Shiemi just continued to stand there looking absolutely concerned, her lips pressed tight together with that worried-sad look she often wore. Her gaze slid to Shima, who was sitting up beside Rin now to clap his hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, Okumura, wanna leave these clowns and go hang out together~?"

"What the hell?!" Rin yowled and leaped from the fountain to run over to Suguro, ducking behind his broad frame as he suffered under the shameless Shima's advances.

"What? No, don't hide behind me!" he cried. This gave Kamiki the perfect opportunity to force one of the bon-bons down his throat.

"That'll teach you morons," she laughed evilly as Suguro failed to cough the candy up. Rin tried to escape Suguro's field of vision before the effects of the love potion activated, but to no avail. Suguro stared at him for a second, then whirled around holding his chest like he was having a heart attack and his eyes shaking.

"Kamiki… I will _kill_ you…"

"Why is it just _me_?" Rin wailed as he jerked his head back to tug violently at his head. "Yukio, Shima, and now him?! I just wanted to do something instead of study! I promise I'll be a good student from now on, just make it _end_!" he wailed to the unforgiving blue sky. Kamiki and Pazu were giggling, quite pleased at how it turned out. Shiemi had leaned down to pick up the box of chocolates and was inspecting the ingredients.

"If it's a natural ingredient, maybe Nee can produce an antidote," she reasoned. The little Greenman had already been summoned and was sitting on her shoulder, leaned over like it too was reading the packaging, but Rin was quite unsure if the little garden familiar _could _read.

"Yes, please, Shiemi…" he sighed wearily, drooping from head to tail. He then stiffened when he realized that Suguro was standing practically right next to him. "Dude, back off!"

"Shaddup, I'm standing here because I like it, not because I wanna be close to you or nothin'…"

"He's a _tsundere_!" Kamiki screeched in laughter. Her pigtails flopped around her shaking shoulders as she cocked her head back and pointed at him, cackling like the witch she was.

"Shaddup, Kamiki, this is all your fault!" he snapped back with his shoulders bristling like a cat's. Rin jumped as Shima popped up over his other shoulder, batting his lazy eyes at him.

"Go away!" Rin shoved him away by the face.

"Uwaaaaaaah, Rin doesn't like me…" Shima pouted and squatted down on the pavement while hugging his knees.

"Damn right! This is all your fault, Shima! I shoulda never gone along with your stupid prank!" he agreed hotly while stamping his feet repeatedly against the ground, making his sword clang around on his back. He whirled on his feet to Shiemi as he eyed his brother staring silently at him. "Shiemi, _please _tell me you found something!" he begged, nearly at his breaking point.

"Got it! Nee!" The little Greenman jumped up from her shoulder and an herb Rin did not recognize sprouted from his leafy green belly. Shiemi plucked a few sprigs off before distributing them to the affected individuals. "Here, this should work." Yukio and Suguro swallowed it gratefully, but Shima waved it around in his hand, lips pursed.

"But if I don't eat it, I'll be the only one in love with Rin now~"

"_Eat it or I'll make you!_" Seeing Rin's thunderous expression was enough to make him do as bid. The three of them coughed for a few seconds at the bitterness of the herbs before finally looking back up at Rin. "Well?"

"Never speak of this again," Yukio ordered while again adjusting his glasses, clearly perturbed.

"Agreed," Suguro nodded, then whirled around shaking his fist at Kamiki. "What the hell were you thinking, you crazy bitch?! I could kill you for that stunt!" Kamiki just sneered while Paku held a hand to her mouth, giggling.

"Why's everyone so on edge? I thought it was fun!" Shima chuckled. He reached for the box of chocolates, only to find it had been depleted of its contents. They all simultaneously glanced up to seen none other than the Headmaster perched on the fountain, pushing the last of the bon-bons into his mouth.

"What's all the fuss?"

"_Run!_" they all screamed in unison and took off, leaving him in their wake and not even curious as to whom he spied first. They all blasted past Konekomaru as he was arriving back onto campus, knocking the grocery bag from his hand and sending its contents spilling across the cobblestone.

"You guys! What was that for?" Rin heard his whine rapidly fade into the distance, drowned out by the rush of the wind in his pointed ears and the sound of his laughter spilling from his grinning mouth.

"That actually was kinda fun, wasn't it?"

"_Shut up_!" came the resounding reply.


End file.
